Daisy held her head in her hands. “No, she didn’t kill her, please, no. She loved Angele so much, and she didn’t want to become a born vampire.”

“She didn’t have much choice with Gilbert as a father. He was my son, but I could find no redeeming features,” Lucia said.

“Why do you want me to watch this? It’s too heartbreaking. To kill the only woman you’ve ever loved?”

“Daisy, I need you to know everything that made Victorija the woman she is today. Her crimes are awful, but I should have gotten her out of there. The Debreks failed her, and monsters are—”

“Made, not born,” Daisy finished.

“Exactly. Just watch and listen.”

Victorija appeared in the middle of the lawn. She was pacing up and down. Victorija was mumbling, “I can’t do this, I don’t want to do this.”

Daisy felt sick. Victorija clearly had to kill Angele. Was it her father who forced her? She didn’t want to watch this. Young Victorija was so in love with Angele that it was going to break Daisy’s heart to watch Victorija kill the one person she’d ever loved.

Daisy had the sudden urge to pull Victorija into her arms and beg her not to go down this path. She was capable of great love. She didn’t have to make the rest of her life full of death and destruction and, as Daisy now understood, lots of pain.

Victorija continued to mutter, “I don’t want to transition. I need to get away.”

Daisy walked up closer to young Victorija and said, “You don’t have to. Turn your back on this.” Logically, Daisy knew this had already happened and the future was written, but she couldn’t help but say it.

Victorija stopped pacing and looked up. She and Daisy saw Angele walking towards her in a white dress.

“Angele, don’t,” Daisy shouted, but of course she couldn’t hear her. “Please don’t do this, Victorija,” Daisy pleaded.

“Angele? Why are you here? I told you never to come here. It’s not safe with my father around.”

Daisy noticed that Angele was walking stiffly, like a robot, and her face was expressionless. No, something was badly wrong here.

“Angele, go. Father is trying to make me transition today.”

When she got up closer, Angele said in a monotone, “Promise me, you will never hurt or drink the blood of my descendants without consent.”

“It’ll be the only vow I ever keep. I swear, Angele. Where is your necklace?”

Daisy grasped the necklace that she wore all the time, exactly like Angele’s. It protected her from vampire compulsion. And Angele didn’t have hers on.

Daisy’s eyes flicked down to Angele’s side and saw a knife. “No, no.”

But it was too late. Angele lifted the knife to her throat and said, “I love you, Torija.”

“No!” Victorija screamed.